short story vs. long narrative

[anotheranon]

Another competition, another deconstruction:

Did something very stupid in pools - I let the fact that I lost my first 3 bouts pinch my ego hard enough to affect my 4th bout. I did win, but was panting like a dog and rushing things it bugged me so that I was doing poorly. Need to remember what belfebe said - no single competition is a referendum on my worth as a fencer or a person. I lost, so what - get over it, do the next thing.

I did much better in direct elimination, which is an ongoing thing - it's easier to figure out what my opponent's doing when I have 15 touches to play with rather than 5. I made it through the first DE (a first, I think?) to the pool of 16, where I finally struck out but not before rattling the cage of a rather stressed teenage fencer. I kinda felt sorry for her because she didn't seem to be having much fun, but I didn't feel enough pity not to use her frazzledness against her ;)

Other observations - fencing is not only becoming my primary physical outlet but also my main social one, which I'm not exactly happy about. My fencing buds are very cool but I do have friends who don't fence, have no interest fencing and I do miss them. Also I fear in conversation I'm turning into to something of a broken record about my latest practices and competitions, which I admit are of little interest to anyone who doesn't fence. I need to work on this - like drag my lazy carcass further into the cold than the 5 minutes it takes to get to club!

Comments

[sealwhiskers.livejournal.com]

Do you feel that your fencing has taken your time away from your non-fencing friends and hobbies?
I had a friend who felt that with her karate. She started with it late in life ("late"=in her 30's), but went in 100% - and after some years she was doing swimmingly, but she noticed that almost all her friends (and her fiancee) were karate related people. Not meaning that your situation is the same, your last paragraphs just stroke a chord there.

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

Do you feel that your fencing has taken your time away from your non-fencing friends and hobbies?

Yeah, I do! I miss non-fencing folks. Also, Costume Con is coming up and I'd like to have more to wear! :P

And it's not that literally every waking hour is devoted to fencing, it's that practice has to be scheduled around - I can only do so many solo drills :P

[zen4me.livejournal.com]

I've found I do the same thing with Krav and working out in general. It seems the majority of my friends come from KMDC now, which isn't necessarily a bad thing considering I'm there SO much. While it is important to keep in contact with older friends and to not subject them to talk of things they don't fully understand, its also important to remember that you ARE getting out of the house and doing something you love. Sharing that fact with everyone isn't a bad thing.

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

You speak the truth - I don't think I'd be there so often if I wasn't friends with my fellow fencers, but then, I probably wouldn't have made friends with them if we didn't spend so much time together :P

I think what I'm expressing is a need for balance in my life.

[tommdroid.livejournal.com]

On the first part I say "Well put".

On the second part I say "well done! No mercy!"

On the third part I say "Hmmm...". It would be very convenient if all one's friends got the same obsession, and all at the same time. I guess I'm easily entertained because I like to read and I find interest as long as I sense there is some passion in it...(not absolutely all things, but alot of things, fencing included). Balance is probably I good thing, but it is so hard when getting into something that is so very fun.

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

There is a lot of passion in my fencing :) Also a lot of serenity - it's a kind of meditation for me - making order out of chaos, and keeping my cool under pressure.

What I just said to zen4me above applies - I need some balance, because I have too many friends and interests to narrow-focus on just one.

[jlsjlsjls.livejournal.com]

Good for you!

Re interests and friends: I've always found that these things are a little like tides ... the level of obsession with a particular hobby peaks and ebbs over and over (especially when there's skill-building involved) and the bestest buddies know you'll surface eventually (especially if they also have a wide range of interests, 'cause then the same thing is going on in their lives)